Improvement in neck-yokes for wagons



T.A BYRD, 1r., aL l. BYRD.

lmpovement in Neck-Yoke for Wagons.-

PatentdAprl 30,1872.

UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

`IMPROVEMENT lN NECK-YOKES FOR WAGONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 126,181, dated April 30, 187:2.

Specification describing certain Improvements in Neck-Yokes for Wagons, invented jointly by TURNER BERD, Jr., 'and IsArArr BYRD, of VVilliaInsville, Cass county, Michigan.

This invention relates to that class of devices whereby draft animals can either be easily detached, or enabled, at the proper time, to detach themselves, from the neck-yokes of twohorse wagons without unbuckling the straps that connect the pole and harness with the neck-yoke. The invention consists in the means by which the said detaching devices are prevented from being operated at the wrong time, and protected from accidental displacement.

Figure l is a front view, showing the pole and straps, all connected with the yoke. Fig. 2 is a transverse section, showing the opera-- tion of the horses detaching themselves; and Fig. 3 is a front view, showing the operation of detaching the horses.

A is the neck-yoke. On its ends are placed ferrules a, each bearin g four lugs, b b. To the front ofthe yoke a plate, c, is pivoted, and to its ends are jointed the inner extremities of rods d d', which connect the plate c with forks, ej', whose upper prongs pass through orifices A in the upper pairs of lugs b, and whose lower prongs pass through orifices in the lower pairs of lugs b', as shown in Fig. 1. The prongs e hold between the lugs b the snap-hooks h, lwhich have eyes, h', through which pass the breast-straps. The lower prongs f hold between the lugs b the snap-hooks for the polestraps. The plate c is provided with a handle, g, which has a beveled head, g', that passes under the rod, d', and is fastened by the pressure of said rod against the back of the head g. An offset, i, from the yoke ha-s a recess that the head g enters when thus fastened, and by means of which the handle gis secured against accidental displacement. Two rings, j k, are sesecured to the yoke at opposite points, through either of which rings the pole l may be passed. In Fig. 2 the pole is represented as passing through the ring j. Inw this case a cord, m,

fastened to the end of the handle g, should be also secured to theI eye Z of the pole. When this is done, the horses, after the tugs are dropped, can detach themselves from the neckyoke by simply walking forward. As they advance the ring j is first pulled off from the pole, which causes it to drop. Next, the cord on tightens and pulls back on the end of the handle g,rc1leasing the head g from the rod d', and causing the former to turn the plate c on its pivot, and thus withdraw the forks e f from the lugs b b far enough to' release the snaphooks and thus detach the horses, as shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 the pole is represented as passed` through the ring 7c, the yoke being reversed. This brings the handle g uppermost, in a position in which it can be readily worked by hand to produce the same result. In either case a pin, n, prevents the plate o from turning too far.

We claim as our invention- The combination of the yoke A, stop t', plate c, handle g, head g, and rod d', arranged all as specified.

TURNER BYRD, JR. ISAIAH BYRD.

Witnesses:

, WM. P. BENNETT,

U. J. MITCHELL. 

